3. Kevin Rudd

What to say about Kevin? A federal election in 2013 virtually assures everybody that former prime minister, former foreign affairs minister and former diplomat to China, Kevin Rudd will be in the news as 2013 rolls around.

The former prime minister is regarded as one of few Labor “shoo-ins” in Queensland for federal election 2013, despite Julia Gillard’s improvement in the polls and Tony Abbott’s slump.

Mr Rudd will fight again to hold his electorate of Griffith (8.4 per cent margin) against the former Australian Medical Association chief, Dr Bill Glasson, who will be the strongest candidate Mr Rudd has had to try to shake for several elections.

Kevin Rudd will draw on his considerable experience and intellectual abilities, combining his knowledge of Australia’s foreign and trade policy with his considerable popular profile and use of social media to highlight his local community appearances.

Bill Glasson has already signalled his intention to go for the community base vote, which Mr Rudd will already realise is his Achilles heel.

And that is just scratching the surface. There’s that leadership issue; the rise of China in public debate and the fact that Kevin Rudd will not be backward in coming forward in promoting Labor against an LNP Queensland government that has major public sector job cuts hanging around its neck like a albatross.